by Ali Vali
Desi noticed the envy in some of the women's eyes as Harry swept her up into her arms again when it was time to go. It was as if they knew by some secret tally that the name of Dr. Harry Basantes was taken from the available roster and moved over to the taken side.
The car was waiting for them when they got downstairs, allowing Harry to get Desi situated while the valets put the wheelchair in the back. As she tipped the guys for their assistance, neither Harry nor her two passengers noticed the man down the block attaching a car to the tow truck he was driving. He had stopped what he was doing when he saw the person carrying a woman out of the restaurant thinking that it wasn't a common sight. That's when he noticed who the person being carried was.
Dialing the portable phone in the cab of the truck Mike called the local jail and asked for his brother Byron. Forgetting about the car he had been sent to collect, Mike jumped up into the truck and drove off following the Land Rover while waiting for Byron to come to the phone. Missing the traffic light once the SUV turned onto St. Charles Avenue, Mike had to wait hoping the driver would get stopped at one of the other lights along the way. He at least knew she was headed uptown.
"Yeah, this is Byron," a gruff voice said into the phone.
"Byron, this is Mike, guess who I found?"
"Please tell me, little brother, that it's the bitch I'm married to."
"Yep, just saw her and some tall bitch coming out of that fancy restaurant Commander's. Rachel was with them too." Mike kept talking as he turned in the direction Harry had headed in.
"Don't lose them. I want to know where she's staying. Daddy said he has the bond almost raised so I should be out of here by the end of this week. I want to pay my dear wife a visit so I can see how's she's doing since her tragic accident of falling in the kitchen. Didn't think you could get hurt that bad tripping over a chair." He hung up after getting Mike to promise he'd get all the information Byron would need to find Desi once their father posted bail for him.
Talking to his brother, Mike never noticed the SUV turn off before reaching Harry's house in the direction of a specialty store in the uptown area. Harry had promised to cook dinner so she made a detour to get some of the ingredients she would need to make what she had in mind.
"When did you learn how to cook?" asked Desi. She was suspicious since Harry hadn't known how to boil water all through school. She had never seen anyone so inept in a kitchen in her life.
"Tony and I took a class in college, so we wouldn't get rickets from eating each other's cooking. Kenneth, lucky bastard, grew up with a set of parents that were gourmet cooks and made it fun for him to learn, so he didn't need any help. Don't laugh, I bet I can debone a chicken better than you can." Harry shook her finger at both sisters.
"I bet, considering you're a surgeon. It's the whole fire and seasoning concepts that I'm worried about," explained Desi.
"I could always just go and buy a pizza."
"I'm sorry, honey, if you want to cook for me, I'll eat it no matter what it tastes like." Desi used her index finger to make an x over her heart to seal the promise.
Harry left them in the car while she ran into the store. Rachel had taken the day off so she could bring Desi to her appointment, and was enjoying her time with the two. "Desi girl, don't you do anything to mess this up this time. That woman loves you like there's no tomorrow, and I won't sit and watch you walk away again. Hell if you do walk away, I might just make a play for her myself. Just so you know, I love you for wanting to stay with me way back when, but this is the here and now. Let me help you build some happiness for yourself this time," said Rachel. She had turned in the seat so she could look Desi in the eye while she said what she needed to.
"Don't worry, they'll have to remove me from Harry's life kicking and screaming now. There's a God and He loves me, because after all this time, she waited for me. There've been some love affairs along the way, but none of them have stuck. This one will, I just know it."
"All set my beauties?" asked Harry when she got back in the vehicle.
"What'd you buy, Dr. Harry?" asked Rachel.
"Something that'll show my insensitive side, squirt, but I'm such a hedonist that I really don't care." A medium sized bag came to rest on the floor behind the driver's seat.
"What in are you talking about, honey?" asked Desi, confused as she eyed the innocuous brown container.
"Veal. I bought veal, and I'm gonna enjoy every milk fed moment of it."
Turning back onto St. Charles again, Harry was singing with the radio when she noticed her passengers stiffen. She didn't think her singing was that bad. "Hey what's wrong?"
"That's the tow truck from the Simoneaux garage," said Rachel pointing to the truck right in front of them. Given that the driver was going very slowly, Harry gave him the benefit of the doubt, and figured that he was searching for the address of his next pick up. That notion quickly died when she noticed him look in the rearview mirror and suddenly slam on his brakes when he noticed who was following him. It became obvious to Harry, the Simoneaux's weren't known for their subtlety.
"Hang on, ladies, let's go home the back way, shall we?" Harry turned on the next cross street, making sure the truck ahead of her had passed it already.
Glancing into the rearview mirror, Harry could see he had put it in reverse and was able to make the turn. Making a quick decision after noticing where they were, she pulled into the driveway and put the Range Rover in park. Getting out of the car and slamming the door shut, Harry stared at the tow truck as it slowly pulled passed the house. Mike just glared back at her and took careful note as to the address on the house so he could tell his brother.
She followed him with her eyes down the street to make sure that he was now out of sight before she got back in the car with Desi and Rachel. "He was looking for us wasn't he?" asked Desi. Half of her was scared, and that half was warring with the half that was really pissed. What if they do something to Harry, thought Desi.
"Looks like it, honey, but none of the Simoneauxs will ever get anywhere near you, that's a promise. Come on, let's get you two home, and make a phone call to Serena and Detective Landry," said Harry.
Serena promised them she'd meet with Desi's divorce attorney and start the process of getting a restraining order against Byron and his family to keep them away from Desi and Rachel. From the beginning of the conversation it had taken some calming maneuvers on Serena's part to get Harry to stop screaming at her on the phone. She agreed that there should be something else they could do, but legally their hands were tied.
"Does it make any sense to you that we have to wait for these crazy assholes to do something before you can do anything about it?" Harry was standing in the middle of the bedroom holding the phone trying to keep her voice down. The last thing she needed was to add to Desi's worry.
"I just work for the DA's office, Harry, I don't get to make up the law as I go along, though what a great concept that would be. I'll meet Jerry and get him to start drafting a protection order to go along with all the other divorce stuff he's writing up. Then I'll see about getting Desi as much protection as we can right now. Trust me, if we do this by the book and Byron screws up, he's going away for a very long time."
"If any of those idiots show up here, I won't need the police."
"Harry, could you put Desi on the phone please?" Serena pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes trying to stop the headache she felt coming on.
Harry handed the phone over without another word. "It's Serena."
Desi smiled and patted the space next to her. "I figured that much, honey." She ran her hand up Harry's arm until she reached the back of her neck. "We're going to be fine, and I'm sure Serena's going to do her best to see that we are."
"God, you're good, Desi," said Serena in her ear after only silence came through the line. "Anyone who can make her calm down that quickly and give up the phone is a miracle worker. But I can see her point. Harry's just worried about you."
"I know and
I love her for it." Desi smiled again and squeezed the skin under her fingers. "Is there anything I can be doing to help?"
"Just sign the papers Jerry is drawing up with Detective Landry's help, and I'll take care of the rest. You have to remember you aren't alone in this anymore, so don't hesitate to ask for help when you feel the need."
"Thanks, Serena. That means a lot to me." She ended the call and gladly accepted a hug from Harry. "You okay, honey?"
"I just want these people to leave you alone and I feel helpless in getting that accomplished."
"Harry, none of this is because of you. I know you're going to keep me safe no matter what, but we can't let Byron and his family overshadow our lives. I'm ready to go on with mine and be happy here with you."
"I just love you so much and I don't want any of this to hurt you anymore."
"Hearing you say that makes me strong enough to face anything."
Changing into her scrubs, and waiting for the security guard she ordered, Harry finally left the house after Desi promised to check in every so often throughout the day. Harry had thought the jail time Byron already pulled would be enough to convince him to back off, but she had underestimated him. Bryon cared much more about revenge than he did about his freedom. That's what scared Harry the most.
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"She's got a big house off the avenue, daddy. I don't know who the big bitch is but she stared me down as I drove by, so now they know we are after them. It might be a good idea to lay off the plan for now," explained Mike. He had come back all full of bravado and told his father he had found Desi. But he quickly deflated when he had to confess she'd acquired a new watchdog who looked fairly scary in her own right.
"We have to teach that little slut a lesson, and you're part of this so show some balls and shut the fuck up. I had to put up my business to get your idiot brother out of jail, so the sooner we get Desiree back here, the sooner this will all be over. If you two listened to me more often, and treated your women accordingly, then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place," yelled Byron, Sr. He wanted his son out of jail, his daughter-in-law to drop the charges, and the bail bondsman to give him his deed back. Hell for all the trouble she had caused, the old man thought about whacking Desi a couple of times himself.
"I'm sorry, daddy, it's not that I don't want to help out, but there's no telling who this woman is, and what relation she is to Desi." Mike was reluctant to face the fact there would be no way he could tell his father no when it came time to go and collect Desi.
"You're going to do whatever the fuck I tell you to do, when I tell you do it, boy, so stop sounding like a weak piss ant. Come on, let's go and see about getting your brother out of that place. Lord knows what'll happen to him if he's stuck in there much longer. And keep your mouth shut once we get there. I'll do all the talking."
They left and drove over to the city jail, located right behind the courthouse on Tulane Avenue. Father and son waited in a very plain, beige room as the police finished processing Byron's paperwork. They shared the area with some other beleaguered appearing people who were either waiting for the release or visitation of their loved ones. No one in the room made eye contact with anyone else, and if a vote were taken, no one would be there given the choice.
When the door clanged open everyone looked up to see if it was the person they were waiting for. Byron stepped out, having traded the orange jumpsuit for the clothes he had been wearing the day he had been arrested. Besides Mike and their father, one other man got up and walked toward the newly released prisoner.
Holding out his hand, the young man wearing the suit asked, "Are you Byron Simoneaux?"
"Yeah," answered Byron.
"The Byron Simoneaux who's married to Desiree Simoneaux?" The young man's smile never faltered as he waited for Byron to nod. "Then these are for you, sir. Have a nice day."
"Wait, what the fuck is this?" Byron held the envelope the guy had given him out in front of him as if he wanted to give them back.
"You've been served, sir. Those are divorce papers and a restraining order from Desiree Simoneaux. You and your family members are ordered to stay a minimum of five hundred feet from Ms. Simoneaux or face legal consequences." That was the only explanation the runner for Desi's attorney was willing to provide.
While getting the file ready for the judge's signature he had gotten a look at the pictures of the young woman's leg, and the thought of this guy spending more time in jail didn't bother him in the least.
"That fucking bitch. That lying, cheating piece of shit," screamed Byron when he realized what the guy had handed him.
There was no way Desi was leaving him, no fucking way. All he needed was some time to explain to her that he was sorry for what he'd done and remind her that they had made a commitment to each other. One he had no intentions of breaking.
"Either keep it down or go back in," warned one of the guards. The reprimand made all three men start for the door.
Byron listened as his brother explained what he had seen the day he spotted Desi, Rachel and their new friend. That night Mike took his brother by the house he had followed the trio to the day before. Byron saw the upstairs lights on and someone moving around.
"Ready or not, Desi, it's time to come home. I'm your husband and there isn't anything in this world that'll make me give you a divorce, baby. Until death do us part is what the guy said and that's how it's going to be, so either you come home willingly or in a pine box. It makes no difference to me."
He motioned for Mike to get moving before any of the neighbors spotted the parked car. "We'll wait until we're sure she isn't expecting us, then we'll come back and take Desi home. What's a couple of weeks more to wait," said Byron looking up into the window as the car started slowly up the street.
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Harry moved around the room getting ready for bed. It had been a long day in surgery trying to get the residents to get their minds around what she was trying to teach them. They could cut up on those cadavers all day long, but it was a different landscape when you had living tissue under your fingertips. She was glad the patients were unconscious during those little learning sessions, if they had been alert they could have added a nervous condition to their diagnosis.
"Come over here and lie down, honey. You're making me nervous. I can't wait until this leg heals and I can kneel down again. Once that happens, on nights like tonight I can give you a nice massage," said Desi patting the bed beside her.
Mona had just left after bathing her and changing the bed linens. Her sister and Mona had come up earlier and had dinner with her since Harry had called and said she was running late. Desi had laughed when, while waiting for Harry to come to the phone, her surgical nurse Sam had told her that if one more resident asked Harry a stupid question she was going to stab someone in the neck with a scalpel.
Sinking into the warm, good smelling body next to her, Desi sighed with contentment. "I just brushed my teeth, want to take my mouth out for a spin?" The question finally got a smile out of Harry.
"Desiree, are you making a pass at me?"
"Well if I have to spell it out for you, then no, I'm not." Desi told her, pouting.
Harry pushed the bottom lip back in with her index finger and leaned over to finish the job with her mouth. She had wanted to come home for hours so she could hold her in case there was any residual fear from what had happened earlier in the afternoon. After all their telephone conversations, and the new security guard Harry had hired, Desi finally seemed to be relaxed and content.
Pulling away from the kiss she had started, Harry closed her eyes and enjoyed the closeness. "I missed you today. I'm thinking one weekend soon we should go somewhere special. How'd you like to go and visit my parents then maybe do a couple of days at a nice resort, just the two of us?"
"That sounds great, but I don't know, sweetheart. Won't they be m
ad that you're with me again? I can imagine I'm not exactly their favorite person." As she tended to do when she was nervous or unsure about something, Desi twisted her fingers into Harry's shirt.
The thought of facing Harry's parents again raised her stress level, since the one thing she remembered about them was how they felt about their daughter. Overprotective and extremely proud of their children were the first two things on a very long list that described Maria and Raul Basantes.
"Don't worry so much, they loved you before and they'll love you again." Harry kissed her nose before moving back down to her lips. "You make me happy, and that's all they'll care about."
"Okay, if you think it'll be all right, I'm game. Now, doctor, why have you come to bed with a wet head?"
"Because your darling sister is going to cut her hair," answered Rachel from the doorway with a pair of shears and a towel in her hand. "I'm trying to build a new clientele in the medical community and I'm starting with that one there," Rachel informed her, pointing Harry who was now under Desi. She just smiled at both of them and relaxed back into her pillow.
"But I like her hair just the way it is," complained Desi.
"Sorry, sister, I called dibs, so unhand her and let me get started. Come on, Desi, would you want your surgeon's hair falling in her eyes when she was giving you a spine transplant or something?"
"No we wouldn't want that. Your knowledge of new and innovative medical procedures is astounding by the way," said Harry as she got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom with Rachel following closely behind.
"I want to come too. Just to make sure she doesn't cut off too much," cried Desi. That made Harry double back and pick her up.
For the next hour Harry sat in a chair in the middle of the bathroom waiting for the three women around her to decide just how much of her hair should go after Mona joined them. At one point she thought she'd have to separate Mona and Rachel when she had suggested Harry color away the white hair. Mona won the argument only because Desi said she thought the way it was looked sexy.